Hello Goodbye
by JustaRollingirl
Summary: When Ia Shizen was assigned to be Len Kagamine's science lab partner, she vowed to keep their relationship completely labeled as "friends." Little did she know that Len would shape her whole world for the next five years. First story! IAxLen and others. Based off of "When the First Love Ends."
1. 8th Period Science Class

**Chapter 1**  
**Middle School Days**  
**8th Period Science Class**

_Everything that ended_

_Once had a beginning._

_So in order to prepare for the end_

_One has to first begin._

* * *

"Ia Shizen."

_Urgh...what? Can't you see I'm busy here...? Well, not __**busy**__, I guess, but still-._

"Miss Shizen."

_Woah, who called me that? Sounds eerily formal._

"Can someone please wake up Miss Shizen?"

_Hey, hey, who asked you...?_

"Sorry about this Ia."

And then suddenly, I was violently whacked on the backside of my head with an orange. Yes. An orange. How Rin managed to sneak that little bugger into class, the world will never know. Unless Rin Kagene is indeed the world, then yes. The world will know.

"OI. What the heck was-" I began to yell out while standing up abruptly in my seat. Realization caused my voice to soften quickly, due to the fact that everyone was staring at me with more or less bemused expressions. Biting my bottom lip, I wiped the accumulating sweat off my palms on my school uniform skirt. Mom will probably get mad at me, but whatever. I never liked it in the first place. Would've bought the pants that the boys wore instead, but apparently it "isn't allowed for such a delicate doll-like girl to ruin her figure with such inappropriate clothing." Really?

"Glad you were able to join us Ia," Mr. Utatane smiled slightly, thankfully more amused than angry. Immediately the heavy weight of guilt pooled into my stomach. Looking away from my favorite teacher, I sighed.

"So, can you answer the question I was going to ask you...if you were awake, that is," the young science teacher requested, his smile still plastered on, yet I got a more mocking feel from it this time. Most would be fazed by this sudden demand, and it would most likely end in humiliation for the poor person. Not me. I'm always ready.

"Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, Quaternary," I listed without hesitation. "And the answer to the question Kaito couldn't figure out was that the reason why the higher the altitude, the less atmospheric pressure there is, is simply because there is less atmosphere above you. The less atmosphere pushing down on you, the less pressure there is."

Satisfied, Mr. Utatane's smile grew wider, and he placed his teachers' edition of our textbook on the counter behind him. The rest of the students gazed on with a mixture of admiration and exasperation. They were probably used to this by now.

The thing is, for some reason, whenever I sleep, I always dream of what happens around me currently. It's like watching a live show, but you're also in it. Perhaps to explain better, think of it as an out of body experience. I knew that Mr. Utatane wanted to wake me up. And I could have before he called me out, but I just chose not to. Simple as that. I stayed up late the night before studying for the 2nd period's algebra test.

"As a reward for Ia's somewhat creepy way for answering correctly even though she was asleep, you all get to change seats," Mr. Utatane announced, knowing the class would be overjoyed. We have stayed in the same positions in class for nearly half the year, and Mr. Utatane probably noticed the increasing level of restlessness. I, on the other hand, was not thrilled at all. Rin was my closest friend at the moment, and I didn't want to move! Plus, the person sitting next to you also became your lab partner, and if your partner did badly, then so did you. Rin and I were both amongst the smarter people in our class, and I didn't want to get stuck with someone who-.

My mental ramblings were cut off as my ears pick up on something.

"And Ia Shizen will be sitting next to Len Kagamine in the middle section, last table on my right," Mr. Utatane finished, closing the folder.

_Len Kagamine...? Who's that again?_ I pondered, trying to recreate some sort of memory that involved a Len Kagamine. Oh wait, does he have a twin? He looked an awful lot like Rinto. Gathering my textbooks, I resolved to question Len about it later. Sliding into my new seat, I took out my pencil case and started organizing my many writing utensils.

"Cool pens you got there," a voice came from above me. Looking up, I see a boy, perhaps a couple or so inches taller than me (I'm 5' 0'' for reference). His blonde locks were tied back into a tight, small ponytail. I had to look away when he smiled. Among other things, it's inhumanly bright.

"Ah...thanks," I muttered softly, looking down at my worn-out sneakers, hastily slipping the case into my backpack. "It's 'Len,' right?"

"M hm," the boy nodded in affirmation. "And you're Ia."

My own azure eyes traveled from Len's cerulean ones back to his extended hand. Hesitantly, I placed mine in his. I liked his eyes. They were welcoming.

"Nice to meet you, Ia!" Len exclaimed, while vigorously shaking my hand clasped in his. At this point, I couldn't help but laugh a bit at his eagerness.

"Let's get along from now on," I contributed with a smile of my own once he finally let go of me.

"Of course," he winked. I let out a small giggle once again and rested my head on my hand. I wasn't as bothered that I had to get separated from Rin now. It seemed like a fair trade. Glancing back at Len, I saw him taking notes in preparation for our upcoming unit final next week. I was glad that he had the sense to do such a thing. I only thought Rin and I did things like that. It took me a little while to realize that he too noticed my stare, and Len met it with his own soft look. Blinking back in surprise, I turned my face away from his and began scribbling random things Mr. Utatane lectured.

The bell finally rang after what seemed to be the longest 45 minutes of my sixth grade career. After a series of goodbyes between Mr. Utatane and the students, everyone gradually funneled out of the classroom. Pushing back a long lock of hair behind my ear, I was tapped three times on the shoulder.

"Oh, hey Rin!" I waved slightly. She smirked a bit in response and grabbed Len's shoulder, shaking it vigorously.

"R-Rin, what are you doing?" I sputtered out, clearly taken aback. I was used to Rin being forceful with other people, but she was usually gentler with strangers. It wasn't possible for Rin to know Len, right? Eyebrows drawn together, I compare Len's features with Rin's and was slightly shocked with what my examination came up with.

"Wait, you guys aren't-"

"Hey, cuz, stop shaking me!" Len cut me off with his sudden cry. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making sure that you know that if you do anything to Ia, I will personally kill you with an orange, and two hello kitty pencils," Rin threatened, giving Len one last jerk before letting go.

"What are you talking about?"

"You guys are cousins?"

Len and I hollered out at the same time. Startled at our sudden synchronicity, we both turned to face each other, and blue met blue. Then, once again at the same time, we quickly spun in opposite directions, hiding our flushed faces. I was perplexed by this sudden wave of emotions. My face felt hot. My mind was thinking at an impossible speed. My cheeks were probably crimson. Peeking out from behind my fingers, I wondered if Len was feeling the same way.

"Sheesh, if you two are going to deeply stare into each other's eyes, I suggest you don't do it in public," came a new person. Wiping my face with the long sleeve of the uniform, I identified Rinto to be the said person.

"Hey Rin, Ia, and my stupid brother," Rinto acknowledged, nodding at each of us. "Oh, I do feel sorry for Ia that she has you as her lab partner. You've always been a dimwit."

"Not nice Rinto," Len pouted, crossing his arms.

"Eh, it's true," Rin commented, placing a thoughtful finger on her chin. "I have always preferred Rinto to Len."

"See?" Rinto gestured with his hands, holding them out in front of his lanky body and shrugging slightly. Grinning playfully in my direction, Rinto winked. I can't help but think how it was so similar to Len's. "Now that we're all in agreement about Len's stupidity, why don't we all walk home to Rin's house and hold a magnificent study session for next Monday's social studies test? I would be quite delighted to not fail this one."

"Wait just a moment," Len interrupted, standing up. "Ia hasn't shared her opinion with us."

"...Eh?" I snapped out of my daydream and peered up at Len. "Don't bring me into this..."

"But, Ia, my twin here just said 'all,' but he is not allowed to say that until all of us indeed voiced our thoughts," Len explained, not letting me escape this one. "Do you honestly think I'm stupid? A dimwit? Not worthy of being your partner?"

"Um...well..." I wasn't so sure how to reply to this one. I've only just met Len 30 minutes ago, so I was unable to make a good judgment. Rin has known Len for an extremely long time, and Rinto even longer. Surely they're right then. But isn't it a little harsh to casually call Len 'stupid'? My eleven-year-old self wasn't so sure. Tilting my head to one side, I decided to just answer truthfully.

"Remember Ia, Len forgot how old he was a couple years back and had to ask Rinto's age to figure out his own," Rin chimed in, trying to convince me of Len's lack of smartness.

"And he once fell asleep during an English test since he stayed up playing Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time until one AM. The teacher took pity on him and gave him a point for putting his name on the test," Rinto snickered.

"Don't influence Ia!" Len growled, shooing his twin and cousin away who both laughed a bit in response. "Well, Ia?"

"Erm, I think Len is a good person..." I mumbled, playing with a strand of hair that came loose. "I'm not so sure if he's 'stupid,' but I have to say that I'm impressed that he was taking notes when Mr. Utatane was talking. He seems nice enough, but I don't know him that well, so I can't really say for sure."

Rinto sighed and pushed back his blond bangs, clearly unsatisfied. "Fair enough."

"Haha! Thanks, Ia!" Len grinned while gathering his notebooks and the such into a messy pile. "So, your house, Rin?"

The girl sighed and nodded, "Sure. I could use the help. Can't remember which god and goddess is which. Let's not loiter, shall we."

I was about to follow Len and Rin out of the science class when I was suddenly stopped by Rinto Kagamine.

"Yes?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion. What could Rinto want?

"Are you really okay with being with Len?" he asked looking directly at me. His eyes bore into mine as if my thoughts were clearly displayed there for him to read. Stepping back a bit, my eyes grew wide.

"Of course, he seems to be a good partner..." I trailed off, not knowing how Rinto wanted me to answer him.

"Just...just be wary of him, 'kay?" Rinto sighed walking past me, patting me on the back on the way.

"Wait, what do you me-," as usual, I was cut off abruptly.

"Len can just be a real idiot sometimes," he stated sincerely with a wave of his hand. "It may be safer for you to just keep your relationship with him platonic."

And with that he closed the door behind him, closing the lights. Leaving me to my thinking.

…

If only I had listened to Rinto.

* * *

**Hey guys!**I finally wrote something~! (cries tears of joy from eyes...not that I'd cry from any other place...or cry something other than tears) So this story is slightly based off of real events. Some things in the beginning chapters are close to what really happened, but towards the end it becomes purely fiction. Not going to say who is who just in case someone from my life somehow stumbles upon this later. I really hoped you enjoyed the first chapter! Throughout the story, Ia and the gang get older and it will probably stop some time in high school (where I'm currently at). The drama just starts in 6th grade. And it gets worse, trust me. Anyways, constructive criticism is welcome, I'd love to hear what you people think. No flames though please, I don't really appreciate them and this is my first story posted so I'm somewhat insecure about it. Thank you!

~JustaRollingirl

P.S. This is also kinda based off of "When the First Love Ends" by Hatsune Miku. Such a sad song. :'(

P.P.S. I got IA's last name from my favorite song by her: "Imagination Forest." It was written by Shizen no Teki-P.


	2. A Falling Out

**Chapter 2**  
**Middle School Days**  
**A Falling Out**

"You like me, don't you."  
_What?_ I frowned while I looked up from my algebra textbook.

The smirk was evident in the blonde's voice. Extra stress was placed on "li" of "like" and "do" of "don't." Common way to sound infuriating. Not only that, the way he articulated it made the question come out more as a statement. A fact that he was waiting for me to verify its credibility.

Keeping silent, I simply glared up at my seat-mate, trying to figure out where he got that insane idea from. It wasn't my fault that we were put in the same group for our project or that I'm at his house a lot because his twin wanted to be friends with me. It wasn't like I wanted to be with him at almost all waking hours. Kagamine was probably aware that over half of the girls in our grade have crushes on him, but I am not one of them. Nor will I ever be.

"Your lack of a response leads me to believe that I am correct," he grinned slyly, leaning down to emphasize the fact that he was a good four inches taller than I was. He only smiled that way when he was correct.

"And your lack of intelligence leads me to cringe mentally," I replied, my eyes traveling back to my homework. I don't have time to spend on this idiot. I have a final exam to study for. "And no, I do not have feelings for you."

_So if x is 6, then I need to subtract each side by 5 to isolate-_ my thoughts were interrupted by an angry 12-year-old slamming his fist on the table. Reaching out, I steady my glass of water to make sure it wouldn't spill all over the place.

Without looking up, I chided the fuming boy, "You do realize that if you make such a ruckus, we'll be kicked out of this place."

Libraries are a place for reading and expanding one's mind. To the younger me, all libraries were considered sacred, important. If Kagamine couldn't control his anger, then I would force him out before the librarian had a chance to lay a finger on him.

"I don't give a-," he spat, knocking over a chair.

"Language," I stated firmly, reminding him that there were those younger than us in this room. Standing up suddenly, I met my classmate's frustrated gaze. My opinion of him was getting worse by the second. I couldn't understand what his problem was. He was an enigma. Being all charming and smart while sweeping girls off of their feet. Then the next second, his face turned scarlet and he was blurting out things that made no sense.

"You're not my mother," Kagamine scowled, glaring at his shoes now. It seemed that my stare was too intense.

"I wish I was though," I sighed, pushing back one of my braids.

"Why wou-"

"So that I could ground sorry gluteus maximus until you learn how to manage this rage of yours," crossing my arms, I resisted the urge to stomp on his foot. He needed it for soccer, and I didn't want to ruin his chances considering he was a star player.

"Seriously, what has made you so aggravated?" I groaned, not allowing Kagamine any time to retaliate with his sharp tongue. "You have girls falling head-over-heels for you like a stack of lined-up dominoes and six of them have already confessed to you! I don't see why you need me to be an addition to your set."

His reaction was somewhat surprising. Instead of exploding again, the boy just slid tiredly into my now-empty chair and let out a prolonged sigh. His cerulean eyes met mine, and I couldn't help but look away.

"You talk weirdly, Ia," he drawled, rubbing his temples gently while tightly shutting his eyes.

"So I've been told," I replied, gathering up my belongings. I didn't feel like staying in the same vicinity with the younger Kagamine twin for long. Inside, I was more so disgruntled than mad at him, but somehow I knew that today's events shouldn't be spoken about to his brother.

"I don't get how you can be so calm and cool about my accusation. Most girls would blush and confirm it or scoff and spit in my face, but you. Oh, you. You simply sit there, chugging away at that equation and bluntly state your dislike for me. It makes you feel strong, huh. It makes you feel in control. But really, on the inside, you're just an insecure, acne-prone girl who reads too much. It's so easy to break you..." as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, Kagamine's eyes immediately lit up with guilt. "Ia, I didn't mean to-"

"You are correct," I smiled sadly at him. "I am not pretty. I am not very athletic. I can't be optimistic all the time like Rin. I'm glad you have the guts to say it to my face and not whisper those things behind my back."

My smile grew wider, for it seemed that I had stumped him. Did he expect me to run away and break out into tears? To scream in his face and tear out chunks of his hair? To be absent from school tomorrow because this experience was too confusing? Because it's what I really feel like doing right now. It was overwhelming, the amount of emotions swirling around. I wanted to throw up. Instead, I hold out a thin notebook for him to take.

"Here."

"Huh?"

"I finished most of the study guide for the math exam next Friday. You don't have my ability and if you sleep in class, you won't be able to graduate, so I copied this again for you."

"But...why?"

"Because as of five minutes ago, I still considered you as a close friend."

And with that, I gently pushed the doors open and left Rinto Kagamine staring at my retreating back.

* * *

**Hello!** Thank you so much for waiting this long, I am so sorry… See, I was at camp for about two weeks and then relatives came over, so it took so long for me to actually type something up and I apologize for that! I'll make sure to update more regularly (no promises though haha…_), but once the school year starts, things will get crazy and, well, ugh. Okay, so this story _is_ based on true events but many of them are skewed and made to be a lot more exaggerated. Like this scene! And I know that this chapter isn't really connected to the first one, but I didn't want Ia and the gang to be stuck as 6th graders forever, so ch. 3 will be the last time they're in 6th grade. And once they reach high school, most events will be fabricated! Now, for some shout-outs…

**pinkalicious101:** for subscribing! You deserve a glomp. No really. I would hug you. But I don't know who you are. And where you live. …That sounded creepy, ignore that part.

**FruitPudding: **for being the first commenter-person-yeah! I'm actually not a big fan of LenxRin, but they can make a cute couple, hoho. And for faving my story. Two hugs! And pie! Apple or peach? ;) Also, for PM-ing me when I was gone asking for more. I didn't realize you liked it that much! Gosh! Most of my stories are planned out, but this was on whim, so I don't know where this is going….? Haha…?

**Rin1019:** for following and faving! You are awesome. Do you also want pie? Maybe FruitPudding will give you her leftovers. I dunno, though. I probably wouldn't give up my pie. :3

**(RandomPerson) Guest: **Whoever (whomever?) you are, thank you for the review! Yeah, I was wondering if I should do "Aria" but that'll be part of something later in the story ;) Anyways, yeah! Go IAxLen represent, woot! :D I feel my oven is going to get busy over the next few days…

THANK YOU EVERYONE! _


	3. That Dreaded One Word

**Chapter 3**  
**Middle School Days**  
**That Dreaded One Word **

_Standing on your tippy-toes for 8 minutes can get so very tiring._ I irritably thought while (not-so) patiently for the class president, Ann Sweetly (aka Sweet Ann), to finish pinning the names on the cork billboard in the foyer. Sixth grade wasn't my best year. I barely escaped with a B+ last semester, and I managed to pull it up from a solid C. Luckily it was getting easier for me, but I was still uncertain.

All of a sudden, I was swept off my feet...quite literally. After flailing around for a bit, I managed to gather my wits and peered down to identify who picked me up.

"Hey there," Len grinned up at me goofily while adjusting my legs to make it more comfortable for both of us. I swear, he grew two inches since I met him last November.

"Sheesh, Len, you scared all the nerves out of me," I laughed, shyly smiling back at my friend. "I couldn't see very well from my five feet-ness. Thanks for that."

"Haha," he grinned, while looking away, probably blushing. "I'm glad to be of help. By the way, how are you so light? What do you weigh? 20 pounds?"

"Add 72 to that, and you get the magical number!" I exclaimed, raising a finger in the air.

Len looked at me strangely for a few seconds before opening his mouth to comment,

"That's not a weight! That's a temperature!"

Small giggles filled the air. I silently thanked my mother for forcing me to eat only salad for the past two weeks.

"Ah! Len, look! Sweet Ann finished posting the scores!" I exclaimed shaking his shoulders vigorously.

"Argh, Ia, don't move too much, you're going to make me drop you!" Len warned as he attempted to steady himself. Glancing at the board, his eyes widened at the results of the exams. The board read:

**...Name-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ID#-_-_-_-_-_-_-Age****-_-_-_-_-_-**GPA (Out of 6.0)...

**1. Ann Grace Sweetly-_-_-_-_84211-_-_-_-_-_-12****-_-_-_-_-_-**5.995...

**2. Kiyoteru Kagome Hiyama-_-23211****-_-_-_-_-_-**12**-_-_-_-_-_-**5.985...

**3. Gumo Deco Megpoid-_-_-_-76211****-_-_-_-_-_-**12**-_-_-_-_-_-**5.98...

**4. Ia Aria Shizen-_-_-_-_-_-_-09211****-_-_-_-_-_-**11**-_-_-_-_-_-**5.976...

**5. Rin Niwa Kagene****-_-_-_-_-_**10211**-_-_-_-_-_-**12**-_-_-_-_-_-**5.973...

**6. Gumi Faye Megpoid-_-_-_-_11211****-_-_-_-_-_-**11**-_-_-_-_-_-**5.971...

**etc...**

"Wow, good job Ia! Takin' 4th I see, eh?" Len laughed as he gently set me back on the ground.

Although I'm aware that pride is one of the seven deadly sins, I couldn't help but feel my chest swell with it. Another thing I couldn't hold back was how I practically pounced on Len and bear-hugged him. I blamed the relief and joy I was feeling at the moment and since Rin and Gumi (our other friend) wasn't around, I had to settle for Len.

"Ah, I'm so happy I did well..." I cried, still holding onto the older Kagamine twin. He didn't cringe in disgust or try to wrench out of my grip, so I assumed it was okay.

"Oh, Len, I see that Ia is still clinging onto you like a leech desperate for blood," came a snide comment from Rinto. His smirk grew wider as I realized what he was referring to, and so I quickly let go of Len despite not wanting to. I admit it, Rinto may have been right. I've accepted that I probably like Len more than a friend, but considering the fact that we're still young and 6th grade relationships last for a week at most, I was unsure as to what to do.

"Oh, Len, I see that Rinto is still acting like a huge jerk," I snapped back.

"Is that any way to speak to the twelfth-ranked?" he tilted his head to one side, grinning almost menacingly as if to say _how dare you speak out of place_. Pfft. Please.

"Um, yeah, why? 'Cause I'm fourth, so, deal," I waved my hand dismissively and turned away from Rinto. Why he even bothered to try to offend me, I don't know.

"That's only because you sugared it up to Mr. Utatane and made him raise your grade by 1%," he retorted, not wanting to give up.

"And that just shows how good of a debater Miss Shizen can be," came a deeper voice. We all looked up as a group (Len now included, yes he's still there) and saw Mr. Utatane smiling somewhat threateningly. Rinto immediately recoiled and stared at his feet.

"Now Mr. Kagamine, Rinto, I mean, please go run that errand I sent you on, and leave Miss Shizen alone," he said, ushering Rinto away. And thus he went, but of course he had to glare in my direction before disappearing amongst the crowd of middle schoolers.

"Huh," Len mused while rubbing the back of his head, trying to make out what just happened. "I didn't realize that you and my brother weren't on good terms anymore. It seemed...tense between you two."

"We had a falling out," I explained curtly before spinning the conversation in another direction. "So, how did you do? I wasn't able to see what you scored."

"Oh," Len's worried expression disappeared and was replaced by a modest expression. "I placed eleventh, just one ahead of Rinto. Not as good as I wanted, but at least I can say I'm smarter than him!"

"You're a lot better than Rinto in many ways," I murmured, soft enough for Len to not hear.

* * *

It was the last day of school which means:

Freedom.

Laziness.

Endless. Ice Cream.

As you all probably guessed, Kaito Shion was ecstatic when he heard that school was going to be let out two days earlier than expected. His screams reached the 8th grade floor. Which is the fourth floor. We 6th graders are on the first.

So on the last day, there were a series of options that we could choose from. There was yearbook signing, movie-watching, soccer-playing, and other fun things to fill our time. What Gumi Megpoid chose to do was watch the Scrabble showdown between Kiyoteru and the English teacher, Mr. Al Bigsby. Or as we students all endearingly call him: Big Al.

"Hey! Gumi, take a seat!" Big Al roared, patting a seat next to his. "You're just about to see me take down Kiyo here. It's gonna be intense."

Eyeing the chair that Big Al offered, Gumi saw an opportunity. Because who was sitting on the piano bench (stolen from Ms. Uta Defoko, the choir director) next to it?

Len Kagamine, of course.

"Oh, hello there, Len!" Gumi grinned mischievously while lowering herself into her seat. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Ah, hey Gumi," Len pulled out his iPod earbuds. The buds were shaped like bananas, much to Gumi's amusement as she told me later on.

Now before I continue, you should know that Gumi is always looking to poke her nose in Rin's or my so-called "love" business. She is persistent and relentless. And quite frankly, a pain in the butt sometimes if you ask me. She says things in front of crushes that she shouldn't necessarily say, and even though Gumi insists that she's helping, it usually causes more harm.

"So, did you enjoy being hugged by Ia?" Gumi asked, quite bluntly, may I add, as she accepted the water bottle Big Al offered her. Taking a small sip, she looked over at Len's reaction.

He spit out his own water on the person sitting next to him (Gakupo Kamui if you must know) upon processing her question. Apparently it was quite funny.

"Wh-what? I mean, how did you...?" Len sputtered as he handed a disgruntled Gakupo a paper towel that Big Al somehow miraculously stowed away in his pocket.

"I just know things," Gumi sang while she flashed poor Len a sly smile.

"Well, it was, I dunno, a hug?" Len tried to choose his words carefully.

"Oh please. There's obviously more than that," she prodded, her face coming dangerously close to her interrogatee.

"No, there isn't. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to finish my _NCIS_ episode," Len said, turning away from the green-haired girl.

"No wait!" she called out, yanking the iPod away from Len.

"Hey! Give that back!" Len frowned while trying to reach for his iPod that Gumi flung across the room, thankfully not knocking anyone out.

"I will, after you answer one question. And **answer truthfully**."

"Ugh, fine. What is it?" Len conceded reluctantly, gesturing for Gumi to spit it out.

* * *

"So?" Rin exclaimed, leaning in closer to hear Gumi better. "What did you ask? What did he say? Did Len confess his undying love for Ia?"

"Rin!" I yelled, giving her a soft nudge. "I'm eleven. He's twelve. 'Undying love' doesn't exist in our world."

"Age doesn't matter!" Rin huffed adamantly. "Anyways, that's not the point. Gumi. Go on."

"Well..." Gumi trailed off as she remembered the events from the day before.

* * *

"Do you like Ia? As in crush-like? As in you'd ask her out-like?" Gumi questioned, on the edge of her seat. Any other person would've paled at her questions, especially since her gaze can be so piercing. But instead...

Poor Gakupo had to wipe off more water.

* * *

"YOU ASKED THAT?" I shouted loudly, rising from my seat. "GUMI, what were you-mrghft!"

Rin clamped a hand over my mouth and shoved my head under her armpit. Good thing Rin was a hygiene freak.

"What did he say? What did he say? ?" Rin jumped up and down in anticipation, almost on the verge of head-locking Gumi until she answered.

Gumi shifted somewhat uncomfortably in her seat, unsure of how to continue.

* * *

Len simply looked up at Gumi. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- "He just looked up at me.

As if he was asked the simplest question . -_-_-_-_-_ As if I asked him what 2+2 was.

Opened his mouth. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Len opened his mouth.

And said, -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Well, he said,

"No." -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- 'No.'"

* * *

I almost felt like fainting.

* * *

**Hello everyone! **Did you see this chapter? Huh? Huh? Huh? Yeah! It came out quickly! Yeah! I can't believe it either, you aren't alone. Okay! So I'm going write an Omake when the gang is still in 6th grade and then we move onto 7th. So, I hope this was eventful enough for you guys! More drama is to happen, don't worry. Oh, and I got everyone's middle name from some references to songs they sang (or in Gumo's case, what Gumi sang). Eh…do you want me to explain each one? I personally don't particularly want to, but if you really want to know, shoot me a PM and I'll explain.

Now for some more shout-outs!

**Chemical Emotion: **Wow, I just want you to know that your comment meant a lot to me. The fact that you enjoyed the story despite your dislike for the pairing made me really happy. See, in my experience, when it's a pairing that I don't like, the story or show or manga or whatever becomes slightly (if not more so) un-enjoyable (depending on how much I dislike the pairing). Yeah, I know it's unfair, but if you like a story so much that you don't mind the pairing, then the author really has done something good. Maybe great even. But you still liked the story, so I'm quite pleased. Quite pleased. You even added it to your favorites! I mean, I'm stunned, really! So thank you. (Sorry if I sound too dramatic or whatnot…_) But on another note, I wouldn't say that Len is a playboy. It's just that a lot of girls like him, but he's too dense to realize it. And since he's infuriatingly dense he doesn't respond to the girls' affections. And as of now he particularly doesn't care. Whereas Rinto seems to like it a lot. So not really playboy. Yet.

**Rin1019: **Haha, lol. Ignore my craziness. :P

I hope you enjoyed this chapter everyone! Look forward to the Omake! It's the only part of the whole story that will be COMPLETELY true. As in, it actually happened. It's also really funny, my friends still reference it til today. I'm gonna have fun writing this, tee hee. ;)


	4. Omake! The Underpants Incident

**Omake! **  
**(Chapter 3.5)**  
**The Underpants Incident**

"MR. UTATANE! MR. UTATANE! WHAT SHOULD I DO!?" I screamed hysterically, bursting into the science classroom during lunch.

"Woah!" he exclaimed at my sudden entrance, almost dropping his potsticker. Glancing in my direction, Mr. Utatane gestured for me to come over with his chopsticks. "Miss Shizen, what has caused you to...explode in such a way?"

"Well, gym and then hole with showing off well, this stuff and then...hm...PINK! Yes, indeed, I was, well...I don't want to tell him that...huh...UNDERWEAR," I struggled trying to decide how to explain the whole situation without sounding too awkward.

"Okay," Mr. Utatane murmured while trying to process the seemingly unconnected string of words I just produced. "Slow down and start over."

Taking a deep breath, I allowed my cheeks to de-flush their bright redness and began to tell what had startled me so.

* * *

It was a normal 4th period gym class as far as I was concerned. Rin, as always, spiked the winning point in volleyball, Len dominated the court in tennis, and Rinto scored all the goals in his soccer game. Everything was going smoothly, girls were fawning over the twins, and Gumi and I were sweat-dropping in the background as Len tried (and failed) to escape all the stifling attention.

But everything changed after Rin and I waited by the gym doors for the bell to ring, signaling that we can leave for lunch. And that's when it happened.

I saw a hole.

Not just any hole.

A hole in Len Kagamine's cargo shorts.

Yep.

You heard me.

And we all know what everyone wears under shorts (or what everyone's supposed to wear under shorts).

Underpants.

Guess what innocent Ia saw?

Underpants.

Oh, no.

Not just any underpants.

Pink underpants.

I turned away too quickly to see if there were flowers or rainbows on them, and to be honest, I'm glad that I did.

"Rin," I whispered, coming closer to my best friend so that I could bury my face in her hoodie.

"What happened?" she asked, oblivious to my scarring moment. Her eyes traveled to where I was standing earlier, and lo-and-behold, she saw what scared me so. And instead of trembling uncontrollably like I was doing, she instead let out a huge guffaw and wiped away the tears from laughing too hard.

"Oh, sheesh, that's just...pfffffffffft," she giggled while patting me on the back. "That's what caused you to be like this? Oh, c'mon Ia, it's only underw-"

I quickly slapped a hand on top of her mouth to stop her from talking.

"Sh-shut up!" I hissed. "I don't know what to do! Do I tell him or let someone else do it? I mean it's not big, but it's noticeable enough..."

"Just leave him be!" Rin exclaimed after I withdrew my hand. "It'll be amazing, seeing everyone's reaction as he walks down the hallway."

"Rin!" I chasited. "You're too mean!"

"Well you're too nice!" she retorted. And just as I was about to inform Len about his hole, the bell rang, and instead of doing like any normal 6th grader would do during lunchtime, I made a beeline for the exit and ran to tell Mr. Utatane what I just saw.

* * *

"Huh," Mr. Utatane smiled at my franticness and leaned back in his chair. "I actually don't really know what to say."

"Can't you just tell him for me, please?" I begged. "I thought it would be a lot less embarrassing if a guy told a guy than if a girl told a guy."

"But I'm his teacher," he argued.

"So teach him how to sew up a hole!" I countered, not wanting the responsibility of informing Len about his hole. I was too chicken to do it.

"Well, then, um..." Mr. Utatane muttered, trying to think of a comeback. And just at that second, who (inconveniently) walked in the classroom?

Rinto Kagamine, of course.

The young science teacher's eyes lit up when the younger Kagamine entered, and he turned back to me with a sly smile. "Tell Rinto!"

"What?!" I shouted, taken aback.

"Tell me what?" Rinto asked, coming towards us. "I just dropped by to pick up my folder that I left in here, but seeing as the conversation includes me now, I might as well just stay. So." He stared at me. "What does Ia need to tell me?"

"No way you're making me say it!" I snapped, shifting to face Mr. Utatane again.

"Well, it's me that you came to for advice, and here it is: Just tell Rinto," Mr. Utatane smirked, placing his hands behind his head.

"Well, um, I..." I stumbled on my words. I willed my eyes to grow bigger as I pleading looked up at Rinto, hoping that my mental pleads reached his mind.

I guess it didn't work.

"Just spill it," Rinto sighed.

"Yourbrotherhasaholeinhisshor tssoRinandIsawhisunderwear. Didyouknowthatitwaspink? Notareallymanlycolor,eh. SoIwashopingthatyouwouldtell yourbrotherinsteadofmeplease ," I explained in one breath, not wanting to prolong the utter embarrassment.

Rinto burst into laughter and placed a large hand on my shoulder.

"Sure, I'll tell my brother," he promised as he quickly left the room, probably to get on the microphone and announce it to the whole cafeteria.

"...I'm never going to live this down, am I."

Luckily, nobody mentioned the incident again...

Until the same exact scenario happened two years later.

* * *

**Hello everyone! **And here is the wonderful omake. Yes, this really happened. Yes, my 11-year-old self was mentally scarred for life. Yes, the real-life version of Len wore the EXACT SAME PAIR OF SHORTS. AGAIN. Did I tell the real-life version of Rinto? Yes. Did I tell him again two years later. No. Will I ever forget this? Probably not.

Now let's forget this incident and do some shout-outs! Yeah!

**Chemical Emotion: **Well ever since chapter two, Rinto has been less-than agreeable. Why he suddenly turned into such a jerk, it will be explained later. Thanks for the review!

**AxxSTAR**:Thank you so much for following and faving this story! You, dear reader, are awesome!

Everyone look forward for the next chapter! Ia and co. are going into the dreaded world of 7th grade! (gasp) What will happen next? Will Len finally realize his feelings? Will Ia still pursue Len or give up on him due to utter disappointment? Will Rin find her own crush? Will Rinto turn nice again or is his friendship with Ia ruined forever? Will the author have fun torturing her characters? Stay tuned to find out!


	5. This Is Gonna Be an Interesting Year

**Chapter 4**  
**Middle School Days**  
**This Is Gonna Be an Interesting Year**

"Ia!" Rin Kagene scrambled through large crowds of 8th graders and dodged wandering students before coming to a sudden halt in front of my face. Grinning widely, she vigorously waved a piece of paper in my face. "Look! Look! I'm in Miss Megurine's homeroom! Ah, so lucky!"

Miss Luka Megurine was the art teacher and well-loved amongst the student body. All of the girls admired the teacher for her grace and seemingly flawless skin. Plus, she was younger than most other teachers and the memory of high school was still fresh in her mind, so she made sure not to pile up the amount of projects in hopes that it would relieve some stress. And during the winter if the class was behaving well, she would give out mugs of hot chocolate and blast "Love is War" and "Rolling Girl" through huge, octopus-shaped speakers. All in all, she was the ideal teacher to have.

"Oh, that's great, Rin," I smiled, genuinely happy for her. I hadn't gotten the chance to check my schedule for 7th grade yet. Being closer to the end of the alphabet always meant that you'd get your stuff pretty late. In fact, I was about to skim over my schedule but then Rin came along, and it was so hard to concentrate with her around.

"What about you? Oh, I hope we have many classes together," Rin gushed while grabbing the sheet I was holding. After scanning it over for a bit, Rin squealed, "Omg! We have homeroom together! And Algebra, score!"

And then she tackled me in a huge bear hug, nearly knocking the two of us to the ground. I swear, Rin became even more hyper over the course of the summer. It suddenly became so tiring, having to deal with her. Still, I loved her.

"Really? Thank goodness, I was dreading the thought of not having anyone I knew in all my classes" I replied, prying her arms from my body with much difficulty. Rin pouted and was about to glomp me once again, but luckily, the bell rang, signaling that we had three minutes to get to our first class, which in this case was the much-anticipated homeroom.

"Let's go!" Rin exclaimed, latching herself onto my arm and dragging me up the nearest flight of stairs. "We get to go to the 8th graders hall! Haha, scary, eh?"

Surprisingly enough, Rin used to be a good three inches or so shorter than me, but suddenly over the summer she grew like a weed and caught up to me plus some. As for me, I'm pretty sure I'll stay my 5' 2'' self forever. I haven't accepted it yet. I swore I would grow until at least 5' 4'' dangit.

"You'll be fine Rin, I'm pretty sure you're as tall-maybe even taller-than a lot of them," I commented slightly enviously. "As for me, I'm pretty sure that I could be swept away...almost everyone is taller than me now."

Rin abruptly stopped and looked down at me for a moment. A small smirk slowly grew on her face, her eyes narrowing to become similar to ones of a cat. I backed away a bit, but only to realize that her grip grew stronger.

"We don't want the big, bad boys to come and steal you, don't we," she chuckled, a little darker than usual. "Which is why I'm doing this!"

And thus, Rin swept me off my feet and carried me in her arms. You know, the kind of carrying that a guy in a shoujo manga would do if the heroine hurt her ankle. Princess style, or bridal style or whatever name it had. Still that didn't matter. What did matter is that Rin Kagamine was carrying me, Ia Shizen, through the hall of 8th graders laughing her crazy arse off.

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"You don't like it?" Rin sighed, disappointed in my rejection of her actions. "Fine then!"

And thus, she dropped me on the ground in front of Miss Megurine's door (which was thankfully not open). She just moved her arms away from underneath me, not even thinking that maybe I could crack my darn head open when it hit the ground. Bracing myself, I shut my eyes tightly and waited for the moment that my butt started to hurt.

"Woah there!" came a new voice, catching me off guard. "Don't want you getting injured, now do we."

Hesitantly opening my eyes, I came face-to-face with Seewoo Hyuk. Even more shocked than when Rin carried my in her arms, I gave out a little squeak of surprise.

"Hey there Aria!" he smiled, still holding me. "Thank goodness that Rin here threw you in my direction, or else I may not have been able to catch you!"

A little bit about Seewoo, he was a fellow classmate in orchestra and my stand partner in the violin section. He was a kind boy, also fairly popular himself, but always found some time to hang out with me whether it was during passing periods or after school by the vending machines. We weren't so close, but we were friends and enjoyed each other's company. He was also originally born in Seoul, but immigrated here with his parents when he was two. Another thing was that he was quite outspoken at times, especially if someone offended him or anyone close to him. Sometimes his comments went overboard, but at least he had an opinion unlike some people who just went with the majority. Seewoo wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

But why was he here so conveniently at the exact moment with Rin dropped me? At the moment I couldn't understand it...

And suddenly it clicked.

Glancing to my right, I caught Rin giggling a bit, her eyes glinting with the same mischievousness that Gumi always possessed. Mentally face-palming, I let out a soft, exasperated sigh. I was being plotted against, eh.

"Well, shall we head in?" Seewoo suggested, still not letting me down. "The second bell is gonna ring in a minute now."

"Sure!" Rin chirped, opening the door all too eagerly, rocking back and forth excitedly.

"Why thank you Rin," Seewoo grinned, as he adjusting his arms, finding a more comfortable way to carry me.

"Um, are you going to put me down anytime soon?" I grumbled, while looking up at my friend, who simply shook his head in response and continued in. "Great, I can already tell this homeroom is going to be the source of all my headaches."

I peered around the room worried that someone would see me in this peculiar predicament. Luckily, not many people were in the room at the moment (mainly the teacher, I didn't want Miss Megurine to see me like this!), so I was spared some embarrassment. But, there were three other people currently present. And guess who one of them was?

"Ia?" came a new voice from the corner from the art classroom. I froze in Seewoo's arms, willing myself to ignore the voice. For I would always know whom the voice belonged to. Even now, it's deeply imbedded into my memory.

"L-len..." I breathed out shakily. Seriously, I was dying inside. To see me in the arms of another boy, while the actual boy that I liked was standing right behind us. It was worst scenario ever. Almost.

Seewoo caught sight of my trembling and glared at Len Kagamine, who in turn glared back at the Korean boy. Tension filled the air, and in some desperate hope, I turned my head to face Rin and stared at her with pleading eyes to save me.

Rin cleared her mouth and was about to say something to break the silence when Gumi pranced into the room.

"Hello everyone!" she shouted cheerfully, running straight towards us. "What a lovely da-"

Stopping the her tracks, Gumi carefully assessed the scene in front of her. Girl likes boy 1. Girl is being carried by boy 2. Boy 1 may or may not have feelings for Girl 1. Same goes for Boy 2. Boy 1 and Boy 2 look like they're about to rip out each other's throats. Oh dear.

"Well, this is gonna be an interesting year~!" Gumi exclaimed and plopped herself down next to Rin, grinning to herself.

...Great.

* * *

**Hi all!** Look at that! I'm alive. I AM ALIVE! YEAH! I'm sorry that this has taken so long and that it's not as long as it could be, but with school and everything, I've been so incredibly busy… _ With tennis team and AP classes and orchestra auditions (two of them…) I have been sleeping so late everyday. BUT NOW IT'S LABOR DAY WEEKEND! But that means I have 3x as much homework. Oh well. But this can be my procrastination time~~. Regarding the story, Gumi's line at the end is taken directly from what my friend said. And yes. I do remember it word by word four years later. On another note, I'm astounded by the amount of feedback I got since the omake chapter. SO THANK YOU READERS I LOVE YOU ALL AND SORRY FOR POSTING THIS SO LATE! And thus this transitions into…

Shout-outs!:

**Chemical Emotion:** Ugh, yeah, not happy days. Whenever something embarrassing happens, my friends always seem to bring this incident up even though it's been 5 years since then! _ HAHAHAHAHA! Although that sounds wrong, it's hilarious! And yeah, my science teacher was sorta flustered when I told him about the incident. ^_^

**FruitPudding: **Yes, come to the dark side, muahaha! Kidding, RinxLen can also be cute! (but not in this story…'cause they're cousins, so yeah) Thanks for reviewing 3 times! XD Yeah, I probably wouldn't tell my friend either…which is exactly why I didn't tell Len's real counterpart. …But was telling his twin worse? I dunno…

**Inside Out Musica:** Thank you so much for favoring, it means a lot!

**Lenxmikuloverchen:** Haha, I had to copy and paste your name since I'm too lazy to write it out… _ And I'm not so sure what you mean by "no happy ending" but the story isn't done yet! But I am neither denying nor confirming whether this will end happily or not. ;) Anyways, thanks for the review!

**Divine Service:** Yes, the oh-so-famous one-word talk! I tend to do that a lot when I'm feeling frantic or put into a tight spot where I REALLY want to get out of. Thanks for the good review!

**LunarMoonWater: **Wow, thanks for doing almost everything possible to make me feel good about myself (lol jk). So, thanks for faving the story, adding me to your "favorite authors" list, following the story, and writing a review! YAY! You're the greatest! And, sorry for not updating faster, and hopefully I'll find a schedule to routinely update. Thanks again!

So thank you everyone, that was probably my longest shout-out list EVER. After LunarMoonWater I realized I needed to update this ASAP, so yes, reviews and such encourage me, and I greatly appreciate them too.

Another thing, I posted all of the stories I'm writing/planning to write on my profile, and if there's one that you want to read in particular because the plot is interesting or the pairing is unique or whatever, please PM me to let me know and I'll write the one that gets the most votes. Also, there's more stuff than Vocaloid there, so yeah, let me know. And if you don't find any in particular, and you want to stick with this story, then that's fine! I'm grateful that you've read this far too! 'KAY BYE!


	6. Rin's Turn

**Chapter 5**  
**Middle School Days**  
**Rin's Turn**

"Okay, now that seating auditions have ended, it's to get this orchestra started!" Ms. Miriam Clouds exclaimed enthusiastically, mirroring her students' excitement.

I glanced over at Gumo, smiling at bit at him. My bottom lip quivered a bit, for I was really scared at how the seating turned out, and even though I felt like I played my violin decently, I've always been lacking in the self-confidence department. He met my gaze with a small wave, also returning my smile, but his looking a lot less forced than mine did.

"Alright! Let's start with the 2nd violins," Ms. Clouds interrupted my silent interaction with Gumo. Flashing him one more anxious grin, I turned back to listen to the names being called, crossing my fingers that I wasn't one of them.

"When say I your name, please step forward and take your new chair!" she reminded us in hopes that this could go as orderly as possible. "First chair second violin is Gumo Megpoid! Congratulations Gumo, much improvement from last year."

I whipped around to face Gumo again and gave him a thumbs up. He rose from his chair as Seewoo friendly slapped him on the back. Despite his good chair, the way that he plodded ever so slightly revealed that he was crestfallen that he did not become a first violin (the first violins represent the best violinists in our grade).

Ms. Clouds cleared her throat before continuing to read aloud the names and nearly each chair was filled except for the first and second chairs in the first violin section. Glancing over at Seewoo, I bit my bottom lip. He was an amazing violinist and it has always been my lifelong goal to surpass him in orchestra and take his seat as concertmaster (or mistress in my case). Perhaps this was the year that I would overtake him. Perhaps for once I could prove that I was-

"And the second highest chair goes to Ia Shizen! Congrats dear, I am so proud of you," Ms. Clouds gushed, gesturing for me to take my seat.

Darn.

Feeling the same way as Gumo, I walked over to my chair and sat down, adjusting my posture to make it more comfortable.

"Which of course leaves Seewoo Hyuk as our concertmaster once again this year!" the conductor exclaimed. "And thus, he is the leader of the orchestra and remember to follow his directions when bowing. Now that we're all situated, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with your new seatmate!"

Immediately Seewoo gave me an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry Aria, maybe next semester. But I look forward to working with you once again this year."

Holding out his hand, I placed mine in his and shook it tentatively. Although I was kinda pissed that he beat me once again, at least it was better than being last chair.

"Yeah, Ia! Your chair _is_ pretty dang good," Gumo contributed. The way the orchestra is set up, the first row is the first two chairs of each section. So since Seewoo and I are the highest in the first violin and Gumo is the highest in the second violins, we all sit together in the same row. Thus the order would be Gumo, then me in the middle, and then Seewoo at the end. I figured that orchestra would be quite eventful from now on. And it was...just not in the way that I expected.

"Hey, Ia," Gumo nudged me with his elbow. "I have a question..."

"Yea?" I responded while wondering what he was going to say. Seewoo leaned in to hear better even though Gumo shot him a reproachful look. Smiling as always, the Korean boy refused to move. Giving in, Gumo decided to continue.

"Um...I was wondering...does, uh, Rin...Kagamine, of course, have anyone that she currently likes? As in crush-like? As in, well, yeah..." Gumo inquired, his cheeks gradually turning a darker shade of red. My reaction was delayed for a half second or so, but once I recovered, I screamed out, "WHAT?! Waitwaitwaitwait. What?!"

Luckily, there was too much noise in the orchestra room for anyone to notice so it didn't really matter that I, the usually shy and quiet girl, had a sudden, rare outburst. Grabbing Gumo's shoulders, I started shaking them vigorously while saying, "Gumo, ohmigod you like Rin?! As in my best friend? As in a 'I-may-want-to-date-her' like?! Gumo this is great!"

Once I let go, he perked up a bit and looked at me hopefully, "So she does like me back?"

Pausing a bit, I frowned, trying to recall any time that Rin has mentioned a boy or displayed any interest in them. Surprisingly nobody came to mind, and it seemed that she was so absorbed in my whole drama that we (Gumi included) have never particularly talked about her love life.

Seeing my hesitancy, Gumo retracted a bit and sighed, "Never mind, I shouldn't get my hopes up."

"Don't say that man!" Seewoo butted in, reaching over and once again slapping the green-haired pre-teen. "See, with the girl I like, even if she had feelings for this other boy, I wouldn't give up! It would be bad to already admit defeat. You always need to keep marching on. Besides, if you did really like her a lot, then what's the chance you'll find someone equally as amazing or nice or smart etc."

Not thinking much of Seewoo's words, I nodded in agreement thinking about all the girls that had a crush on Len. He was so popular that half of the female population in our grade either liked him in 6th grade or currently did at that time. The funny thing was that he was unaware of his popularity and was blissfully spending his middle school life in ignorance.

"To be honest, I don't actually know who she likes," I confessed. "Gumi and I haven't really asked so the topic never really has come up."

"Really?" Gumo was skeptical. "So although you guys have sleepovers all the time at my house, the topic of boys has never been part of all the giggly gossip?"

"Surprisingly, no."

"That's hard to believe."

"But it's true!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Seewoo intervened. "You and Gumi are...siblings? But she's like a year younger than you!"

"No duh we're siblings, we practically have the same name," Gumo rolled his eyes. "No, Gumi's a genius and skipped a grade, so here she is. I bet it was just to annoy me."

"That makes sense."

"Ia," Gumo started, "Could you do me a favor and please try to find out? I really really like her, and I dunno, maybe we could hang out some more or whatever, just please?"

Looking into Gumo's bright, green eyes, I saw that he was being sincere and seemed to be very desperate at this point. He knew that I would most likely tell Rin that he liked her, and he was already putting this secret in jeopardy by telling me. Perhaps he was just somewhat dim and didn't realize it or he was so enamored with Rin that he had this need to just know more about her. And quite frankly I could identify with his feelings. Although I had my doubts, I didn't think that Gumo had bad intentions and maybe it was time to get back at Rin for her shenanigans earlier this year. Yup. That sounded good.

"Sure," I smiled a little mischievously. "But I do warn you. If anything comes out of this and you break her heart, I will come down full force."

Returning my smile with a hint of worry, Gumo said, "Alright, thanks Ia."

"Okay class, I'm handing out the first song we'll be tackling this year! I am sure you are all aware of the Japanese pop star, Hatsune Miku, and she's about your age, so I thought it would be appropriate to start of with a song by her!" Ms. Clouds explained while handing out sheet music to the first chairs to pass back.

Looking at the music, it read "モノクロ∞ブルースカイ" or "Monochrome ∞ Blue Sky." Pushing the thoughts of Rin and Gumo to the back of my mind, I raised my violin and placed my carbon fiber bow on the strings, ready to play.

* * *

Ever since I was able to break into the top ten concerning GPAs, there were some expectations set up for me. One was that I would keep my place as 4th ranked (or move up), two that I would get all As on tests, and that I would always be on time to my classes. So when I was kept late in orchestra because Ms. Clouds wanted to discuss violin competitions and she didn't write me a pass, I got worried. And instead of asking Gumo to tell the teacher that I would be late next period like I should have before he left (while I stayed behind), I sprinted down the hallways and up the staircases, and ended up 10 minutes late for enriched language arts (more commonly known as ELA, it was our middle school's version of honors english).

"I'm so sorry that I'm late!" I exclaimed as I burst into the classroom. As soon as I came to a halt, I doubled over and breathed heavily, my body sagging with how tired I was. Laughter erupted from my classmates in front of me. Looking up, I glared at Gumo who quickly quieted his girlish giggles.

"It's ok Ia, just remember not to let it happen again," Big Al grinned (he moved up a grade with us, needless to say our class was overjoyed). "Please take a seat."

Sighing, I went over to my desk and sunk in my chair, placing my head on the tabletop. Turning my head to the left, I remembered that I didn't have anyone sitting next to me, so I got up and dumped my backpack in the empty seat.

"Now as I was saying before Ia came rumbling in," Big Al paused to let the excess chuckles die down. "We have a transfer student! After retaking the placement test, I am happy to say that he was able to qualify to join our class."

I attempted to raise my head to see who Big Al was talking about, but the exhaustion from running with a giant backpack prevented me from moving much. Instead, I waited for Big Al to give this guy his seat in the classroom. I figured it would be interesting having an additional student in our class. Hopefully it was someone nice.

"And he will be sitting next to..." Big Al drifted off, looking for an empty chair. I vaguely recalled that the one next to me could be the one he would choose. How exciting. "Ia Shizen! Haha sounds good, this is her punishment for coming late!"

"Hey Big Al, that isn't too nice," huffed the new kid. Wait...I knew that voice. No way. Aw, hell no! Urgh, no it couldn't be...

Hearing the footsteps approaching my table, I turned my head once again and looked up. Upon seeing who it was, I began to mentally swear in Japanese (thank you, dear father for teaching me those words) and bit my bottom lip.

"Hi, Ia, please take care of me," the blonde twin greeted as he shoved my backpack off his chair and sat down.

"Hello Rinto," I groaned, wondering why the world hated me.

* * *

Hey look everyone, I'm not dead! Now isn't that a surprise. I'm so, SO sorry for not updating in practically FOREVER. It's just that school has been so stressful with midterms and whatnot. Plus my mother is leaving for Asia to visit my grandmother who had surgery leaving me and my dad alone in the house. And now I have to cook…clean…iron…etc, all on top of the gigantic pile that is my homework. And another thing…I met this boy in my science class and last week he asked me out! I was seriously so surprised, I never thought it would happen! So yeah, that kept me busy as well… :P And as someone who's never had a boyfriend it feels so weird to call him mine, haha. So now I will start with the…

Shout Outs~!:

**OrangeTsundere: **Thank you for adding this story to your Story Alert subscription thingie~~! And for your review as well, I'm glad I made someone laugh :3 Btw I love your username, haha :D

**LunarMoonWater:** Haha, I didn't think you would scream! _ And sorry that this took me so long to update…maybe I should try and update every Sunday. Yeah, I think I'll work towards that goal. (No promises though!) And yay! I'm so glad another person watches LoK and reads Fairy Tail~ And maybe I'll make an omake with Makorra/Jerza, I already have it planned in my head… ;) And your profile pic looks cool :D

**Chemical Emotion:** Thanks for always consistently reviewing! You're too cool man, too cool B-) Yes, love triangles amuse me. :P Look forward to the next chapter~!

**FruitPudding:** Oh I know me too! Apparently my school has the most school days in our whole district…all my friends who go to different schools make fun of me. _ And thanks so much for reviewing~

**Kepetan:** Thanks so much for adding this story to the alert thingie yeah…ok I'll stop now. Haha, thanks though! :)

**Shojo-chan cat:** And thank you for following my story and myself (I finally remembered what too call it…haha I'm such a fail :'D)! And adding me to your favorite author list, I feel so honored~ :) And faving my story. And reviewing…WOW you did everything possible, thanks! Hee, hee, some new characters will be coming in, and I hope you're happy with the new Rinto development :3 I'm making cookies for my boyfriend's birthday (urgh still feels so WEIRD calling him that! aurhg), so maybe I'll save some for you too~~ :D (b/c ya know, you're awesome)

**Inside Out Musica:** Thanks for reviewing~! Thank you for your kind words too…:) Ahahaha. Hahha. Hah. Yea, high school will pile on TONS of work unfortunately…especially if your in honors/ap classes….which is my life right now….*cries*

**Divine Service:** Thanks for the review~~~ :D HAHAHA, Bermuda triangle, I bet it will :P And I will keep going, thanks :3 :)

**Kisaragi Momo:** Thank you for following me and my story! It means a lot :D And btw I also adore your username…it just sounds so cute and like, I need to put a heart every time I say it…:P Kisaragi Momo-chan~ (insert heart here b/c fanfiction hates me) (haha, ignore my weirdness…)

SO THANK YOU EVERYONE. I LOVE YOU ALL. :3 Hopefully I'll hear from you guys soon! :)


	7. Apologies

**Chapter 6**  
**Middle School Days**  
**Apologies**

"Alright class, that's it for today," Big Al announced to the class. Looking up at the clock, it seemed that we still had a good ten minutes until the bell rang. "Feel free to talk amongst yourselves and whatnot, if you have any questions about _Animal Farm_, don't hesitate to ask me!"

I shoved my books into my backpack, and stood up abruptly to join Gumo at his desk in an attempt to escape the awkwardness that is sitting next to Rinto.

"B-bye," I stuttered, raising my shaking hand as a gesture of goodbye. It wasn't that I was scared of Rinto or anything, please. I was just somewhat afraid of what he was going to say to me or what insults he may decide to spit out. Perhaps "wary" would be a better term to describe what I was feeling. During the whole period he didn't say anything, but I was sure that he was just waiting for opportunity to comment on...who knows what. Just as I whipped around and took a step forward, I felt a hand grasp my wrist. Immediately tensing up, I tried to wrench my way free, but to no avail. In response to my struggles, Rinto simply gripped harder, but let go when I glared at him from the corner from my eye.

"Can I talk to you for a bit?" Rinto asked, apparently the tile ground became incredibly fascinating, for that's where Rinto was staring at instead of at my face.

Eyeing him suspiciously, I sighed and plopped back down in my seat. No escaping now I suppose, I couldn't pluck of the confidence or nerves to say no to him. "What do you need Kagamine?"

"Well...um...I've been wanting to say...uh, you know...how was your day?!" he suddenly exclaimed after a long string of incoherent mumbles.

"It was fine...I guess?" I replied, raising my right eyebrow in confusion. I was taken aback by his sudden question and change of attitude. The Rinto that I knew acted all full of himself and came off to be quite arrogant. This more demure, anxiousness was new to me. "I mean, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?"

"No reason really," Rinto said, feigning nonchalance.

"Allllrighty then..." I frowned, wondering what he really wanted. "I mean, if that's all, I'm gonna go-"

"Wait!" he cut me off. Cue awkward silence once again. "So you're friends with Seewoo now?"

"Um, I've known him since last year in orchestra, and we became good friends over summer, but again, why do you ask?" I sighed, not knowing where the heck this conversation was going. Whatever Rinto really wanted to say, it wasn't going to come out easily.

"I dunno about him Ia, he seems weird. Not as in personality wise, but sorta sketchy? I'm not so sure if his intentions are the best. He may be bad, Ia," Rinto pushed, the old fire coming back into his eyes.

This pissed me off a bit coming from Rinto. I mean, for the last year he either completely ignored my existence or shot snide comments in my face. And for him to suddenly judge Seewoo like that? Kind, interesting, smart, genuinely nice Seewoo? It made me angry. He had no right to say such a thing.

"Excuse me?" I exclaimed, feeling deeply insulted on behalf of Seewoo. "Oh, that's rich coming from you, Rinto. Mr. I-don't-care-about-anyone-but-me-and-I-enjoy-verbally-hurting-Ia-

Shizen. I wouldn't say that you're the best character either."

He seemed to be quite shocked at this comeback, making me feel a little satisfied. Perhaps I was being a little too harsh? True, it was me who cut off all ties between us, but he didn't have to force it to the next level by going out of his way to insult me every day. I shouldn't have to feel guilt by telling him off every once in a while.

"...It won't happen again," he finally said after a long pause.

"What?" I felt even more taken aback by this statement. It sounded more of a promise, actually.

"I said, 'It won't happen again,'" Rinto repeated. "Don't make me say it a third time, ok Ia? And if it's not too late...I would like to be friends again."

Without giving me a chance to respond, Rinto abruptly got out of his seat and went over to talk to some of his other friends. I watched his retreating back in confusion. Usually Rinto was very blunt about whatever he said, and was honest to a fault. This sudden change in character was more than slightly unnerving.

"What the heck was that all about?" came a new voice. Snapping out of my trance, I turned around to see Gumo has settled himself down in Rinto's seat.

"I really have no idea," I sighed, slumping back in my seat.

"Well...I think I may have an idea to what he was getting at," Gumo mused, looking up thoughtfully.

"Please, do tell."

"I know you girls are all very close with your touchy-feely stuff or whatever-"

"Hey-!"

"Let me finish!"

"Fine."

"Thank you. You see...but us guys...it's hard for us to say 'sorry.' I dunno, but it's just this weird psychological thing that we have that supposedly shows weakness if we apologize for something," Gumo explained. "It's kinda weird."

"It's stupid, that's what it is," I replied. "Honestly, it isn't 'un-manly' to say sorry...It takes courage to accept what you've done is wrong."

Gumo blinked a bit in realization and cracked a small smile. This grew to become a few chuckles, and he patted me on the head.

"Hey, what was that for?!" I complained, biting my inner cheek. "I'm not a puppy, you know."

"Haha, but you'll always be like a little sister to me," he smiled in response. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his chin in thought and murmured, "No wonder he's so taken by you."

"What did you say?" I questioned, not understanding what he just said.

"Oh nothing," he waved his hand in dismissal, regaining his posture.

"Whatever," I said. "So do you really think that Rinto was trying to apologize?"

"'Try' is the key word," Gumo reminded me.

I sighed.

"He's an idiot."

"Believe me, I know."

* * *

"Rin! Wait up!" I called after my best friend. Upon hearing my voice, the blonde turned around and laughed at my attempts to catch up with her. She was, after all, one of the best long distance runners on the track team, and it seemed that she never stopped running.

"Oh wow, Ia, we should go for a jog or something one time, build up strength in those scrawny legs of yours," Rin giggled as I came to a sudden halt. "Seriously, the wind will carry you away if you don't muscle up!"

"Shut up you," I said. "I was teased enough already today."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked, suddenly sounding concerned. "Is somebody bullying you Ia? Do I need to have a talk with someone? Huh?!"

"Oh, no, no, no. That wasn't what I meant," I explained quickly before Rin would have a chance to march off to hunt down some poor kid who supposedly "bullied" me. "It was Gumo and his antics, the usual. Completely harmless."

Despite this reassurance, Rin still held an air of annoyance as she said, "Ugh, someday I'll get back at that stupid Gumo."

Suddenly I remembered that I promised Gumo that I would ask Rin if she liked anyone currently and what she thought about Gumo. And by the way that the conversation was going, it did not promise the most desirable outcome.

"Um...really?" I asked tentatively, wondering how I would approach the topic. "So is that what you think of Gumo?"

"He's alright I guess, bit of an annoying ass though," Rin thought aloud.

"Rin! Language!"

"Well excuse me!" Rin said. I shook my head. At the time I wasn't one to casually throw around swears and derogatory words.

"What about boys in general? Like anyone?"

"Well, I don't think that there's...but maybe...nah..." she continued to voice her thoughts. Catching a glance at my eager look, her eyes narrowed and she sighed. "Who put you up to this?"

"Oh! Um, no one! Definitely no one! You and Gumi always worry about me and my so-called 'love life,' so I was curious about yours!" I quickly said in an attempt to hide that Gumo asked me to do this. Her look clearly displayed skepticism, but I wasn't going to let that faze me. "But, please go on!"

"Well, to be honest, I don't currently like anyone," Rin confessed, playing with her headband. "Sure, when I see a boy who's attractive I think 'Oh, he's cute,' but nothing major like 'Oh, I have such a huge crush on him!' Besides, even if I were to find someone that I like, it's not like we'd get into a serious relationship or anything since it's middle school. Also I'm not allowed to go out with anyone until high school, so that sorta defeats the purpose of liking someone in the first place."

"Huh...I see," I said, feeling a little bit down for Gumo. We were in the same boat of unrequited-ness. "So that's how it is."

Smiling slightly at my reaction, Rin reached over and ruffled my hair similar to how Gumo did before. After a small pause, Rin spoke up, "I know that Megpoid likes me."

Oh no you don't, girl.

"Yes! Of course Gumi would like you! We're all good friends! You don't need to question her feelings about us, I assure you," I feigned ignorance, although ultimately knowing that Rin can see through all my lies. "What are you talking about, silly goose?"

"I know that he's the one who requested that you ask me these things," Rin insisted.

"Well, I-"

"Ia Aria Shizen."

"Yes, Gumo Megpoid asked me to do this," I gave in. "But he really does like you a lot Rin! I think you should at least give him a chance!"

"I could say the same thing about you," Rin said, elbowing me in the side.

"Wait, what do you mean?!" I exclaimed, getting exasperated by all this secret talk. "First Gumo, now you...what are you guys implying?"

"You're still not over Len, right?" Rin eyed me knowingly.

"I, well, you know..." I fumbled with words. "Maybe...?"

"Well, perhaps you could open your eyes to new possibilities," Rin suggested. "There are a lot of people out there Ia, I don't see why my cousin has to be the special one."

"But who..." I trailed off. They couldn't mean...?

"Oh, Ia, you innocent, oblivious 12-year-old-girl," Rin shook her head. "Eh, maybe you'll figure it out eventually."

"Figure _what_ out eventually!?" I said, getting a little frustrated.

"You'll see."

"Ugh!"

Rin once again began laughing at my dissatisfaction. Looping her arm around mine, she said, "Gumo will be ok, Ia. He'll get over it. I like him, but as a friend. I just want to focus on my studies right now in preparation for high school. Sports as well."

"Alright," I sighed. "So what do I tell him?"

"Nothing, I'll talk to the boy tomorrow," Rin promised. "So, want to go to that new gelato place downtown? I heard their raspberry is amazing!"

* * *

"So did you talk to Rin yesterday?" Rinto asked as I sat down next to him in ELA the following day.

"How the heck do you know about that?" I asked, frowning.

"I'm good friends with Gumo. Friends tell friends these types of things," Rinto responded, taking out his notebook. "So? What happened?"

"Well...she said she actually doesn't li-" I cut myself off (for once). "Wait! What's up with you?!"

This was weird. Rinto was starting to sound like the Rinto I knew before he became a huge jerk! He's sounding like the Rinto I met last year. He sounds like a decent person. Has there been a rift in time vortex?

"What?" it was Rinto's turn to be taken aback.

"No insult, no petty comment, no snide remark?" I started listing the types of things he would say to me before. "I didn't even accept you as a friend again, but you're being all nice? Who are you, and what have you done with Rinto Kagamine?!"

My accusations were met with laughs from Rinto. It was certainly not the reaction I was expecting especially since for the past year all he would laugh at was how "stupid" I was and the such. This was...new. Was he really trying to get back into my favor?

"Is it unexpected that I can be nice?" Rinto asked while wiping tears from his eyes.

"Yes!"

"Oi you, don't need to be rude," Rinto said reproachfully.

"Says you who would only be rude to me!" I retorted. "What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing," Rinto replied, not giving it any other thought. "So what did she say?"

Realizing that I probably couldn't win this argument, I gave in. Maybe Rinto is ok now?

"Well...she apparently wants to put all her energy and focus on schoolwork and her running career rather than thinking about boys," I confessed. "Rin said that she would tell Gumo today though; I hope that went alright."

"Wow, that sounds like Rin," Rinto said, leaning back in his seat. "She's the type that would put academics over possible social happiness."

Feeling a sudden vibration in my lap, I got a text message from someone. Bringing it up to the desk, Rinto leaned over to read what it said.

**Hey ia its gumo, can we talk in orch room after school?**

"Rinto, what should I say!?" I started to freak out. It seemed that Rin hadn't had the chance to tell Gumo yet. ELA was our last period, but Gumo couldn't attend class today because of an extra violin lesson with Ms. Clouds. And now he was asking me to talk to him? Oh great.

"Just say that you can't! Calm down Ia," Rinto rolled his eyes at my reaction. "If you make a simple excuse, you could probably get away with it. Gumo tends to respect other people's obligations even if it's not in his best interest."

"Fine, fine," I replied, quickly texting him back. "Sorry...have...violin lesson...after school...and send."

A couple seconds later...

**Violin can wait. i need 2 talk 2 u! ill be waiting 3**

"Rinto it didn't work!" I wailed, grabbing his uniform's sleeve and shaking it vigorously.

"Don't show up then!" he countered. "Or just avoid him or something. Go straight to the buses and don't look back."

"Even if I could, I can't...I leave my textbooks in my orchestra locker since my real one is out of the way of all my classes. My history textbook is in there, and I need it to study tonight. Plus, it would be bad to just ignore him..." I told him.

"Well, then, I can't help you Ia, just tell him the truth and it'll be ok," Rinto reasoned. As much as I hoped Gumo would be fine with Rin, I could already just see him breaking down into tears or something. He was fairly in touch with his emotions for a guy, and tended to overreact to the smallest things. There was no telling what he would do.

"Urgh...I hope so," I rested my forehead on my desk and moaned. This once again caused more laughter on Rinto's part, and he patted my back as a sign of reassurance.

* * *

Kaito Shion was slightly annoyed. Actually, a bit more than just "slightly." One of his best friends, Rinto Kagamine, was beginning to not hang out with him as much. Him! Kaito Shion! His best friend since fourth grade! They shared a bottle of glue during a holiday craft and have stuck together ever since. Until middle school came along and suddenly Rinto's priorities changed, but he still somehow managed to find time to hang out with his old buddy. Rinto even introduced Gumo to the duo, and they became pretty close. But now Gumo's going after Rin Kagene, and Rinto's up to who knows what.

Scratch that.

Kaito knows what's up. He's been seeing Rinto around that Ia Shizen a lot. Quiet girl. Though she had this huge crush on Rinto's twin, Len. Wonder what happened there.

But that's not the problem now! The problem is that Rinto is ditching his friends and is hanging out with people that he previously ignored and the world is going upside down.

"Hey Kaito."

Speak of the devil.

"Greetings blonde one, how may I be of service you?" Kaito responded, turning around to face the twin. He chose to ignore the weird look Kagamine gave him and proceeded to unwrap an ice cream bar he got from the cafeteria.

"You haven't seen my brother around, have you?" he asked Kaito.

"Beats me, but last time I saw him, blonde one number two was giggling around the Shizen girl," Kaito munched on his ice cream. It tasted pretty good.

"Ia?" number one seemed to be taken aback. "She was with him? But I thought they weren't on good terms anymore?"

"Ever since he became seatmates with her in ELA, they've been seen together more than once. And they weren't even ripping out each other's throats per usual. Rather it seemed like civilized conversation. Peculiar, eh?" Kaito mused, finishing up his frozen treat. That he probably paid too much for.

"Oh. Well, thanks Kaito," Kagamine thanked Shion.

"No problem-o," Kaito bowed slightly then walked away humming a tune to himself. As he left, the blonde twin turned around and gripped his textbooks closer to his chest.

"...He's been with Ia?"

This was news for Len Kagamine.

And he wasn't so sure how he felt about it.

* * *

EVERYONE I AM BACK AFTER HOW LONG? TOO LONG! I really hope I'll eventually stop having to start all the author's notes like this, haha _; I have a whole slew of excuses which are probably all the lamest things EVER. But honestly, finals just suck. Suckiest things. And I had to freaking draw the whole map of Europe! In two days! For 100 points. *cries* But I got a 95 on that so it's all good~. :) I swear, AP European History is my life right now. Anyone else taking the class? ANYONE ELSE FEEL MY PAIN SO THAT I'M NOT AS ALONE? ANYONE? Ok, I'm done now… But I hope this chapter was worth the wait! It's one of my longest chapters, almost 3,000 words! (not including this stuff, of course) And I'm so extremely sorry for the slow updates. I swear I'm going to find time to update this more regularly. Warning you guys, it may only be once a month because I don't want to make any promises I can't keep… ._. So again, I'm so sorry and I will work on it! I promise! I swear on my AP Euro textbook! o('_')o Anyways, on to the…

Shout-outs!:

**InsideOutMusica:** My first term just ended…glad to get that off my back =_= And Rinto was in the school before, it's just that he was in regular English (called LA as opposes to ELA) and now he's moved up! Yay for him. Thanks again for reviewing and I hope the chapter was good!

**MegaFan-Girl43:** Thanks HEAPS for subscribing to the story! It means so much to me! I hope you continue to read the new updates (which will hopefully come sooner…hopefully). Thanks again! ^^

**Lyric22:** AND YOU! Thanks to YOU for ALSO subscribing! Yayayayayay! Ah, I'm so glad that people are still reading this and such! You guys are the greatest, so thanks again I love you all! :D

**Divine Service:** And here is more! I hope it's enough! But there will be more chapters, don't worry. And I know right~~~ :3 Couples are always so cute, especially when they work out in the end *hearts* thanks for the review, I really appreciate it!

**FreakyPokeGirl1:** First of all, I just want to let you know that I _love_ your username! _ When I first read it a laughed a lot (probably a lot longer than a normal person haha… ^^;). Anyways, thanks for subscribing! Ahhh, means so much to me, you guys are too dang nice. / And you commented too and favorited! Omg you're amazing. I never thought of the pairing until I began to write this story, and at first it was going to be another Vocaloid, but then I'm like: Huh, what about Ia? Never read a story about them before! And voila! It was born~~~ :P

**LunarMoonWater:** I totally am going to check out that story! (Is it up yet? I haven't checked! Eek, being away from fanfiction too long isn't good!) You're so cool for writing the longest reviews! I love talking to you though this haha! :) Don't worry, my dance moves aren't to be bragged about either :P And the crossover is gonna be an omake chapter, probs when they're in high school. Yes, the young'uns are gonna grow up :'D Anyways, THANKS AGAIN! LOVE YA!

**Kisaragi Momo:** I promise I haven't forgotten! Even though it seems like it, I promise I haven't forgotten! (wow sounds like I'm a movie. Kisaragi-chan. I haven't forgotten. About you. Oh gosh, I sound silly please ignore me! _) Thanks for the review and hopefully the new semester won't be as bad so I'll get to updating more!

**Alturial:** Thanks for subscribing and subscribing to me as well, and faving me, and faving the story, I'm so honored! *hearts everywhere* You're really cool and I like your username a lot too! Sounds very…mystical. ;P

Thank you everyone for all the amazing feedback! I wouldn't be writing if it wasn't for you guys! Ok…now I need to go and memorize my Macbeth monologue. :'D (I have no life.)


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